Exercises

8.1 Match the words on the left with their opposites on the right.
clever [I] a introverted
2 extroverted D b tight-fisted
3 rude D C courteous
4 cruel D d greganous
5 generous D e kind-hearted
6 unsociable D f half-witted

8.2 Do you think that the speaker likes or dislikes the people in these sentences? Reword each
sentence to give the opposite impression (negative rather than positive or vice versa).
1 Carmen's very thrifty. Uks - G,rme"'s �er� s-tt"9�· 5 Nico's quite bossy.
2 Molly's usually frank. 6 I find Dave self-important.
3 Liz is quite broad-minded. 7 Don't you think James is nosy?
4 Sam can be aggressive. 8 Rachel is very original.

8.3 Pair the words that have similar meanings.

koi"less - sill�

brainless curt gifted rude tense

brusque direct honest sensible tight-fisted
crafty down-to-earth impolite silly trustworthy
cunnmg frank miserly talented wound up

8.4 Magazines often publish questionnaires which are supposed to analyse aspects of your
character. Look at the words below and match them to the corresponding question.
pessimistic argumentative sensitive sociable
extravagant assertive inquisitive reliabl@

1 If you arrange to meet at 7 pm, do you arrive at 7 pm? reU,l,le

2 Look at the picture. D9 you think 'my glass is half empty'?
3 Do you find it easy to tell your boss if you feel he or she has treated
you badly?
4 Do you always look out of the window if you hear a car draw up?
5 Do you often buy your friends presents for no particular reason?
6 Do you frequently disagree with what other people say?
7 Do you lie awake at night if someone has said something unkind to you?
8 Do you prefer to be in the company of other people?

8.5 What questions like those in 8.4 could you ask to find out if a person is the following?
1 thrifty l>b tpu. keep bid �eGtS bf Sffi"'i" ,.se +he.j rn# lbl'Yle i" useful?
2 blunt 4 intelligent 6 original 8 stressed out
3 sensible 5 even-tempered 7 obstinate

8.6 Ove,r ..f-o ':fOtc

Choose two people who are important in your life. Then pick three different adjectives to describe
each of these people. Explain why you chose these adjectives to describe that person.
EXAMPLE Sociable - My brother is sociable because he loves being with other people.

English Vocabulary in Use Upper-intermediate 25